AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
BATON ROUGE AREA OFFICE
AND
THE GREATER BATON ROUGE INDUSTRY ALLIANCE
AND
THE LOUISIANA CHEMICAL ASSOCIATION

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Baton Rouge Area Office, the Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance (GBRIA), and the Louisiana Chemical Association (LCA) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, the OSHA, GBRIA, and the LCA form an Alliance to provide GBRIA and LCA members with information, guidance, and access to training and resources that will help member companies protect employee and contractor health and safety; support company efforts aimed at preventing accidental releases, fires and explosions with a particular emphasis on chemical process safety and the OSHA Process Safety Management (PSM) standard; and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance's activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet the "Fundamental Requirements for OSHA Alliance Program Participants" and the "Guidelines for OSHA’s Alliance Program Participants: Alliance Products and Other Alliance Projects."

Through the Alliance, the organizations will use available injury, illness, and hazard exposure data, when appropriate, to help identify areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The Alliance will also explore and implement selected options, including but not limited to member surveys, to evaluate the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In developing this Alliance, OSHA, GBRIA, and LCA recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that information about the products and activities of the Alliance may be shared with these partners for the advancement of common goals.

Raising Awareness: Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Provide information on OSHA's National/Regional/Local Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.
• Provide information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• Meet with the GBRIA and LCA Safety and Health Steering Committee to discuss emerging safety or health trends observed by OSHA field officers and from industrial accidents or compliance inspections in the chemical and refining industries;
• Participate, speak, appear or assist, when possible, at workshops conferences, or other GBRIA and LCA meetings that have process or occupational safety, employee health or related themes that would be beneficial in promoting continuous improvement at Louisiana chemical and petrochemical plants and refineries;
• Update GBRIA and LCA members on the status of the OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) and encourage support and participation of the program by all members;
• Ensure Alliance activities are informed by the perspectives of non-managerial workers employed in the chemical and petrochemical industry during safety committee meetings and outreach events.
• Encourage GBRIA and LCA member worksites to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, that include chemical process safety and other industry related areas of emphasis.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Facilitate and support effective training or education programs for chemical, petrochemical and related process industry companies on issues that might include but are not limited to temporary and/or short service workers; incentive or disciplinary programs; legal matters such as OSHA policies; and Recognized and Generally Accepted Good Engineering (RAGAGEP).
• Work to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health information on topics such as: heat illness; falls; "novel" health exposures (for example, viral exposures); construction operations; and other local concerns.

OSHA's Alliances provide organizations an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s initiatives, outreach, communications, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with an organization, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that organization's products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet one to two times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Baton Rouge Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans’ and OSHA On-Site Consultation program’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Any signatory may terminate their organization's participation in the agreement for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days' written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories.

Signed this 20th day of December, 2023.